I am surprised by the sight of rapper-movie star Ice Cube, who is lounging, with some younger folks, outside the Park Hyatt. He does not attend the gathering that follows, so I can only assume he is involved in one of the many productions now shooting in and around the GTA. (Throw a rock in the downtown core and you'll likely hit a Panavision truck.)
Casually attired (one memorable outfit: a zebra-striped suit with matching top hat) local media and other guests cluster near the entrance to the luxury hotel's Queen's Park Ballroom. I chat with journalists I've seen but never formally met in years previous before ducking in and positioning myself up front, next to the television cameras. There are decorated tables for four but nobody's sitting at them, perhaps for the same reason I chose not to: I presumed, wrongfully, that they were reserved for Especially Important Persons.
The inaugural press conference for the twenty-fifth Toronto International Film Festival gets underway just about on time. Managing Director of the T.I.F.F. Michèle Maheux miraculously manages to quiet everybody down and deliver her words of welcome. Soon after, she introduces representatives from major sponsors Bell and VISA (the latter begins his amusing speech by quoting the Mae West line, "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful"); good news for VISA customers: you'll have a chance to purchase tickets as early as July 10, ten days ahead of non-cardholders.
Piers Handling, Festival Director, steps up to the podium last to announce the movies that have been selected thus far. In addition to the "Preludes," original shorts by ten prominent Canadian filmmakers (including David Cronenberg and Better Than Chocolate's Anne Wheeler) that will come attached to Gala screenings, we can expect:
- "25x25", a showcase of documentaries about the Fest-going experience shot on digital video by renowned Canadian and international filmmakers.
- The Untitled Cameron Crowe Project - Let's hope it has a name by September, and a better one than its rumoured working title, Stillwater. Crowe, still basking in the afterglow of his Jerry Maguire, based this follow-up on his experiences as a fifteen-year-old reporter for "Rolling Stone". Boasts an Altman-esque all-star cast.
- Yet another mockumentary from Christopher Guest, the lead singer of "Spinal Tap" and creator of Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show targets the world of dog shows and reunites Guest with most of Guffman's ensemble. Said to be very, very funny.
- DreamWorks is hoping The Contender will be this year's American Beauty, i.e. their ticket to the Oscars. Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, and Gary Oldman headline the political thriller.
- The Luzhin Difference sees Marleen "Antonia's Line" Gorris back behind the camera, guiding Emily Watson and John Turturro through an adaptation of the Nabokov novel, a story of a chess player's affection for a socialite beauty in 1920s Italy.
- Opening the Festival will be Denys Arcand's Stardom, featuring Dan Aykroyd, Frank Langella, Robert Lepage and Jessica Paré. The film skewers the fashion world as it follows the rise of a young model and the subsequent loss of her private life.
There will also be a programme of films that played at the 1976 T.I.F.F. (then the "Festival of Festivals") called "Year One". (Highlights: Akira Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala and Barbara Kopple's Harlan County, U.S.A.) Finally, from August 25-31 at select Toronto cinemas, AGF hosts a revival of Audience Award-winning Festival Favourites, admission to which is free.
For up-to-date schedules and on-line order forms, plus information on Brian D. Johnson's new memoir Brave Films, Wild Nights: 25 Years of Festival Fever, various special events, and much, much more, visit the official website of The Toronto International Film Festival, or call (416) 968-FILM. Maheux and company have promised ten big, bold days in celebration of the T.I.F.F.'s quarter-century achievement, so don't miss out!
